The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has collaborated with 16 other organizations to express opposition to a legislative proposal in a letter addressed to the House Judiciary Committee. The legislation in question seeks to extend copyright protection to standards even after they are incorporated by reference into regulations, thereby becoming enforceable law.
Additionally, the bill would allow standards development organizations to mandate that users create an account and provide personal information as a prerequisite for accessing the standard. Concerns have been raised about the potential misuse of this personal information due to insufficient protective measures within the bill.
Previously, when this legislation was introduced in Congress, there were calls for hearings and a more thoughtful process to evaluate the negative impacts of extending copyright coverage in this manner. The goal was also to explore alternative solutions addressing concerns from standards development organizations regarding the incorporation of standards into law by reference. Despite these calls, the House Judiciary Committee moved forward with the bill. It reached the House floor under suspension of rules, which meant no amendments could be made, and it narrowly failed to pass.